Polish-German War
The Polish-German War (17 May 1920 - 21 August 1920) was an armed conflict between the Second Polish Republic and the Socialist Republic of Germany that coincided with the Polish-Soviet War. Background As the Red German Volksarmee pushed eastward throughout early 1920, they came in conflict with Polish nationalist rebels who had seized much of the Posen (Poznań) region. After Poland invaded Soviet territory in the April Kiev Offensive, skirmishes developed between Red German forces and Polish forces. These skirmishes progressively grew into a true conflict throughout May, culminating in the first true battle of the conflict at Graudenz (Grudziądz) on 17 May. This action is considered to to be the start of the Polish-German War. It is unclear which side truly started the conflict, though Red German offensive actions were later justified by their alliance with the Bolsheviks. War As Red German forces seized territory in Silesia and East Prussia throughout May and June, their front with the Poles expanded. The Poles had, by this point, dedicated most of their combat ready forces to the Soviet front in the east, which was collapsing at a rapid rate following Soviet counterattacks. In June 1920, their military strength in the west may very well have been as little as 50,000 (not including Polish rebels in Silesia and Posen), compared to nearly 200,000 forces at the disposal of the Volksarmee. This was perceived as a major threat by Polish leader Józef Piłsudski, who ordered troops to reinforce the border with Germany as well as rebel held territory in Silesia and Posen, despite various objections from his commanders. By early July, Polish forces in the west numbered around 100,000. However, many of these soldiers were poorly equipped and improperly trained reservists who had intentionally not been deployed as front line troops in the east. Polish forces launched an offensive towards the town of Allenstein (Olsztyn) on 11 July, but they were forced to abandon their positions on 19 July as the Soviet Red Army advanced from the east. German offensive By early August, Soviet forces had advanced deep into Polish territory and were at the gates of the Polish capital of Warsaw. Piłsudski incorrectly believed that the rebel forces in Silesia and Posen would be enough to keep the Volksarmee busy. He ordered the reassignment of the most experienced and combat ready forces in the west to Warsaw. On 3 August, Red German forces launched a three-pronged offensive towards Łódź, Kraków and Toruń. This plan was devised by Ludwig Renn, a prestigious field battalion commander and former nobleman who defected to the Reds. Polish rebel forces in Silesia were rapidly defeated and driven across the border over the next few days. With the support of armored cars, Red German forces advanced quickly towards Łódź, capturing it on 5 August with little resistance. At the same time, Red German forces advanced into the rear of the Polish forces at Toruń, and facing an attack from both sides, the Poles were forced to abandon their northern flank. Also at the same time, Red German forces advanced towards their third objective of Kraków. The Poles organized resistance here, and Renn ultimately opted to not assault the city. This posed a major threat to the Polish defense of Płock, and also threatened exposing the poorly defended western flank of Warsaw. Polish forces were hastily pulled back and were forced to leave behind much heavy equipment and supplies in the process, which were captured and used against them later. Polish logistics were haphazard, and had no effective way of reorganizing their defense in time. The Polish loss of Płock and Toruń provided the Soviet Red Army with the much desired ability to cross the Vistula river through the permanent bridges there. With this, a Soviet-German victory was assured. Poland no longer had the opportunity to use the Vistula as a defensive weapon, as their western flank was without such natural protections. Through a coordinated offensive, the city fell on 19 August, but not before most important Polish politicians and commanders fled to Romania. Hundreds of thousands of Polish soldiers were captured in the process. With the defeat of the Polish forces at Warsaw, the Polish defense of Lwów collapsed, and it fell on 20 August. German forces simultaneously captured Kraków, taking over 10,000 prisoners in the process. The war ended on 21 August with the surrender of what remained of the Polish Army. Category:Postwar revolutionary wave Category:Conflicts